Quote Originally Posted by theimage13 View Post
Did you have to do anything to get your mind in the right place for that? For me, it was an easy choice to go to yoga classes once I saw that my gym offered a free one after work once a week. But I stopped going pretty quickly because I couldn't get my brain to shut the hell up. I wasn't focusing on my breathing or the instructor's directions the entire time (I was paying attention, but in and out). I stopped going after just a few visits because I'd only leave feeling even more frustrated than when I started - because of my failure to be able to get to the right mental place.
Don't give up! It's all about practice- you can't expect to be able to shut your mind up right away. We spend all our lives letting our mind run wild, we can't expect to know how to reverse that right away. I just kept going to yoga until it clicked. If there's any frame of mind you have to be in for yoga, is one of motivation and forgiveness. You can't be hard on yourself for not being able to do something that you've never done before. Like asking yourself to...I don't know, start pole vaulting successfully after never even going for a jog! Going "in and out" is a great start, eventually I found myself being more "in" than out because it's all about training. With all things, I also noticed in myself that if I neglect it, it becomes harder for me to stay focused. Another meditating technique I try is to simply bring my awareness to my breathing during any point of the day with the goal of becoming aware and more deliberate of every thought and action. Granted, I remember to do this maybe twice a day for only a few seconds but it's better than nothing!
Anyways, I've noticed it does wonders for managing any needless anxiety that crops up now and then.